I Have Always Been Me by Precious Brady-Davis

There was also no protocol at the organization to change my name since I was the very first paid trans woman on staff, despite it being an LGBT+ organization.

After finding out other members of my team had less responsibility and made the same salary as me, I felt undervalued and knew I had to find a new job that would pay me fairly based on my credentials and expertise. No salary increases for my position, despite an increase in my workload. There was no opportunity for promotion or advancement into management. Management wanted to cement the thought in my head: “You’ll be stuck at that desk forever. They were speaking on behalf of the culture of the organization and the message I heard was that a trans woman had no opportunity to lead. They paused, looked at me and said, “Oh, that will never happen.” Then they walked away, chuckling, as I heard the heavy door slam. As they walked by my tiny desk area, I said, “I can’t wait to have that office one day,” referring to the office space that was being tidied up for a new manager. The microaggressions continued when one afternoon, a person with influence at the organization was cleaning out an office near my desk, preparing for a new manager filling a recently vacated role. Although I had the support of many of my colleagues, the organization refused for months to change my name in the email system to reflect my new name. I had started at the organization as a male-identified person and, while working there, I came to the realization that I was a transgender woman. I was sitting in a shared cubicle, at age 26, as an entry-level nonprofit staffer at an LGBT+ organization in Chicago, working on projects for the homeless, people living with HIV and those facing mental health and substance abuse issues. I was feeling ambitious and inspired about the work I was doing every day. I remember a career-altering moment that has never left me. Precious Brady-Davis is the author of the upcoming memoir ‘I Have Always Been Me’ (TOPPLE) and associate regional communications director for the Sierra ClubĮvery interaction we have in the workplace has the power to stagnate, empower or change the course of one’s career. Master's degrees in diversity, equity & inclusion can never outweigh the value of lived experience * Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

I Have Always Been Me by Precious Brady-Davis